


Tanked

by ramblesandshambles



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-05-17 15:14:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5875738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ramblesandshambles/pseuds/ramblesandshambles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carol makes a long journey guided by thoughts of her first husband who seems to be guiding her into the  hands of another man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok, New fic from me. I've been struggling to write after some set backs hope you like it.

"She's just a little girl... she won't take up much room, I'll share my bed with her and she's at school all day. I promise she will be very quiet." Carol was pleading her case, with the man behind the shop counter, she could see she wasn't getting anywhere and she didn't know if she was in the right place or not. However she was at the end of her money and her car broke down outside this store. She had no other choice but to take notice of the part time assistant needed in the window of the store, she didn't know what to do next. She felt like she was almost begging for her life. Her husband had died when Sophia was still small and she had been working and raising her little girl alone. Her husband had died in the line of duty and they had some savings but didn't own their own home. It had been a struggle ever since. Now she felt he might have been guiding her to this place for a reason.

Last week in the apartment building she lived in the apartment manager made it clear he was going to make it difficult for Carol and Sophia to live there now he had taken a liking to Carol and for the past couple of weeks had been turning the heat off to her apartment from the mains and making it so he had to come up and fix things. Carol had noticed things had started going missing from her laundry and at first hadn't taken much notice about anything being missing but when she was down to her last bra she began to wonder.

Then a week ago he had tried to force himself on Carol in the laundry room striking her face when she told him she wasn't going to date him. She managed to get away from him by the skin of her teeth but he was making it extremely difficult for her to feel safe in her home. She couldn't feel safe knowing someone was using their power against a widow and a child. She could have gone to the cops and Shanes old buddies would have taken care of things but then that would put her into a odd situation of the old friends wanting to maybe ask her on a date also and she really didn't want to deal with that right now.

She knew they had to move on. She packed what she could from her small apartment, things that were important to her and her little girl, she kissed her husbands wedding band that was hanging from a chain that was around her neck with her own wedding bands and sent up a prayer that he might help guide her to somewhere safe and somewhere where she could make a new life for her and Sophia, maybe even to find love again.

She and Shane often spoke about if something happened to each other that they would want the other to move on, try find someone else that made them as happy as they made each other. She had been so lonely for so long that maybe now was the time to move and try find someone special, someone new. They didn't want each other to be lonely for the rest of their lives however long that would be. 

Carol spoke to her dead husband every day even though if you asked her she would deny it. She believed he was still around her, protecting them, guiding them through their lives and helping Carol with any big decisions, she always had a clue or indication of what he would do, things would always turn out fine if she listened to her surroundings and watching for clues. Sometimes she even thought she could smell his aftershave, she would catch whiff's of it every now and again. She knew it was him that made the shelves fall onto her would be attacker in the laundry room letting her escape.

"Ok Shane... where should we go?" Carol had whispered looking at the map the night they were leaving. Her face was bruised and she covered it from Sophia with make up not wanting to worry the little girl. Her eyes went all over the map, a tiny little bug crawled across the state of Georgia and stopped right bang on a smallish town, Carol looked at it again. "We go there?" Carol asked out loud, if anyone saw her or knew she was relying on a bug to let her know where she should go they would call her crazy.

"So you want us to go to hickville?" Carol almost laughed because that's what he always called Georgia. Carol watched as another bug crawled across and sat down on the paper almost in a line beside the other one. "Ok... ok, we go... get rid of the bugs."

The bugs scurried off the paper Carol didn't really know what to think, they didn't have a lot of money, she gave notice at her job and pulled Sophia out of school today and they were basically doing a runner. Their rent wasn't due till next week they were all paid up, she was dropping her keys off in the managers letterbox on her way out the front door. Sophia thought they were going on an adventure but she didn't seem to get they were not coming back. She was happy enough with her few favourite toys and her album of photos of her daddy.

Carol started driving that night towards a town that she was directed to by a bug on a map. She really hopped it wasn't just a bug on a map and it was her husband helping to guide her. She drove for three hours before finding a hotel to stay in that night before making her full journey to hickville.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have been looking at this all day trying to fiddle with it.

They had been living out of the car for about a week to keep costs down and she rolled into a new town of around twenty thousand people. She had planned to go through the papers looking for work that she could do while Sophia was at school. Well that was her plan until she stalled and she managed to steer it into a car park in the street she was going down. 

She tried the ignition once, then twice, at this rate she would flatten the battery but she couldn't understand why it was flat like it was it shouldn't be at all. She not long had the Cherokee serviced. She looked about and Sophia was half asleep in her seat in the back seat, Carol cast her eyes all over the street. At least they had not broken down in the worst street in town, it was an adorable street with big shop windows and if anything it was probably one of the main streets. It was quite busy and she could understand why there was a park right there when she broke down. Normally she would break down in the middle of a intersection where she would have to get help to move off the road, not this time a big easy car park to roll right into. _Interesting_ , Carol thought.

She as luck had it pulled up outside a pet shop, not just a pet shop it was a fish specialty shop that by the looks of things she looked around there were every type of tropical, and salt water fish available. It was amazing, Sophia had been staring at a huge reef tank in the window now out her side of the car and she pointed to a sign that was advertising for a part time position within.

  _Part time with free room and board for the right person, seven days a week on call._  

"Come on Sophia... lets see about this job." Carol told her little girl. _'I hope you are right about this Shane... a fish shop?'_

It was freezing outside, the wind almost made Sophia cry after being inside the nice warm car for hours.

"She won't touch anything I promise. I'm .... " Carol just stopped and stared at the rough looking man who was standing behind the counter. When he saw she had a child in tow he said 'no'. He was gruff warning Sophia not to touch anything as the little girl moved from tank to tank staring at the fish. She had been pleading her case, drawing the line at almost begging him for a job. Carol knew they had enough money on them right now for either food or a bed for the night. Right now she really wasn't past begging the guy to give her a chance.

"No kids." He said gruffly, "Ain't no place for kids."

 "Thank you for your time." Carol tried not to let her emotions show on her face or to let the tears fall. She gestured to Sophia to come over so they could leave, it wasn't going to work out here she couldn't understand why she had been guided into this store.

"I have to go... if we are not at the shelter by five we won't get a bed... and we will have to sleep in the car again... Sophia lets go..." She had already spotted the shelter on her way into town thinking they would stay there, get a shower, a bed and a meal before finding a job and a place to live. The man's eyes went to Sophia staring at her really hard.

"But the pretty fish..." Sophia trailed along behind her mother, she flashed the man behind the counter a huge smile with a flash of blue eyes, "The blue fish looks sick," She told him as she reached out for her mother hand, "He's missing his home."

"Bye kid," He tried not to feel bad about the mother doing up the kids thin coat on the cold day heading outside to go sleep at the shelter. The little girl looked back at him and gave him a wave and pointed to the tank which she had been talking about. He glanced over towards the tank to see if he could see it from where he was standing. He was addicted to his fish health and often he didn't even want to sell them to the public in case they didn't know what they were doing with them.

F _uck it... god damn it! Harden up!_ He thought to himself.

He watched as the mother and daughter stepped outside and it was then he could see the women had no coat and they were running to the car because the wind outside today was brutal and stopped people from coming out of their homes today. The mother leaned in the car grabbed a bag out of it, locked it and went to start walking down the street. It was then he realized she probably had no gas.

"God damn it!"

He moved across his store and opened the door. "Wait! Come back!"

The women turned around and looked at him with her blue eyes, even in the winter sun light he could see the bruising that had been covered badly by make up and under her eye. He opened the door for them to come in out of the cold.

"Do you actually know anything about fish?" He asked her.

"No... but I'm a quick learner... does this mean?" Carol could hug him when he nodded. "I had goldfish as a kid."

"It means you can come back and we can it. If you are no good you will have to move on. I need someone to help. The kid can't go no where without an adult alright its not safe." Merle told her, "I ain't got time for baby sitters I ship fish the country wide... I don't want any mistakes."

"I'm Carol..." She held out her hand for him to shake.

"Merle... Merle Dixon..." He eyed her hard. "You running from someone?"

"Not really... I'm running to someone... you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Carol was still holding his hand.

"You got a last name Carol?" Merle asked her.

"Carol... Carol Walsh..." 

His head nodded and his eyes flashed to Sophia and his face paled.

"Shane not with you?" Merle asked her.

"Shane died about five years ago... I'm sorry did you know Shane?" Carol asked him.

"I believe my brother did... Daryl?" Merle asked her.

"Daryl... Sophia.... go look at the blue fish again." Carol pointed across at the big tank, Daryl Dixon, she hadn't thought about him in years. She never had to, Shane never wanted to after he had his ex partner donate them his sperm to help them conceive Sophia he pretty much disappeared before she was even born. He didn't want to know anything about it. He just said he was happy to help out Shane. Carol only met him the once when he dropped her off a jar of sperm and she inserted it. No IVF for them they couldn't afford it so they tried the turkey baster way and it worked.

"He's your brother?" Carol asked the man now leaning on the counter.

"Sure is... he owns half this place. He's away right now won't be back for three days."

"I think we better go."

"No I think you need to stay," Merle told her. "Tonight at least, its cold and he will kill me if he knew I let you leave, he never stopped wondering you know.... if he had a kid out there or not."

Carol nodded. One night could not hurt .... could it.

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Merle took them upstairs and out the back of the shop, Carol was impressed that it was quite tidy, it was warm and humid which she supposed it was from the was

ter in all the tanks.

"Don't touch anything out here short stuff or Uncle Merle will have to tan your hide!" Merle told Sophia, she stared at him with big wide eyes, Carol pulled her little girl closer to her until she saw that Merle was teasing her. Sophia flashed him a smile because for some reason she liked this gruff man.

"I'll show you where you can bed down. You will have to go into Daryl's room because the other room is kinda outside and wouldn't be great if little bit wanted the john or she goes to bed." Merle told Carol, "I mean... she would be outside and someone would have to be outside with her."

"Please don't change anything because of us." Carol started to say.

"Daryl will kill me if I put you and little bit outside in the sleep out." Merle told him, "Besides... Daryl's rooms probably tidier than the sleep out."

Merle pushed the bedroom door open for them to look inside. It was a huge bedroom, it could possibly double as a lounge also. There was a cork board with photos littered all over it, Carol stared at them including photos up there of Sophia that probably only be shared by Shane, and in the later years Rick Grimes. She guess because there was a photo of Sophia being held by Rick on the board. There were photos of Shane and Daryl together when they were partners before he moved away before Sophia was born.

"Why are there photo's of me?" Sophia asked her mother.

"Because your dad and Daryl used to be best friends." Carol said.

Truth be told she hadn't seen Daryl since Shanes funeral when he stopped in front of her giving her a quick hug telling her that Shane was his best mate and he'd looked at Sophia reaching out to touch her, rubbing the top of her head. The next moment he was gone. Rick had said he'd had to get home when she asked if he was coming back to the house after the funeral.

"The best... since they were around ten they were best buddies, there wasn't nothing Daryl wouldn't do for Shane if Shane asked him too... " Merle was going to say something else but he didn't. "So... I'll show you around. Sophia you gotta stick close to your mom or me until Daryl gets back and stick close to him because outside..." Merle opened the back door to the roof, Carol was shocked.

She looked around and there were ponds and plants and trees up there. Big swimming pools too. 

"You have a pool?" Sophia started running to the pool when Merle wrapped his arm around her stopping her.

"We ain't fenced that high princess if you fall off onto the pavement." Merle told her. "Its not a pool,"

Carol, Sophia and Merle looked in and circling around were some small reef sharks. Sophia's eyes went wide. They were small about fifteen inches but still they were sharks.

"Its a shipment for tomorrow, we are putting in a shark tank... I just put them in here over night... they have a heater and filters." Merle tried to explain. "You don't want to go swimming with a shark right Sophia."

"No... dolphins.... do you have a dolphin?" Sophia asked him innocently.

"No dolphins today, these sharks stay small and dolphins get really big. They need a huge tank." Merle told her, "I can take you to see the dolphins at the sea life place. I go down there every other week to check filters and food supplies. We don't just run the fish shop."

"Where is Daryl now?" Sophia asked Merle, she'd heard them talking about Daryl but didn't really know.

"He's working... he's a detective now, he's doing a thing." Merle told Sophia not going into to much details about what was happening with Daryl.

"My dad was a police man." Sophia looked at Carol, "Wasn't he mom."

"Yes, sweetie," Trying to stop what was going to come out of her mouth next. A few months ago they had been talking about how babies had been made and being honest with Sophia had told her that sometimes they need help if the mommy or daddy didn't have everything needed. Sophia was all over the sperm donar thing right now.

"He was my dad but my mom had someone else's.... what's that word? Mom? What was it? The fish. They got fish from someone else..." Sophia told Merle.

"Sperm..." Carol gave her the correct word.

"You got it from daddy's friend right mom?" Sophia asked her mom again.

"U huh Sophia, wow look whats in this tanks Sophia..." Carol tried to stop the thought process coming out of Sophia's mouth.

"Daddy's best friend...." Sophia said to Merle.

"You want to feed the shark?" Merle tried to stop it so Sophia didn't work it out until Carol and Daryl had a chance to even meet each other.

"Daryl?" Sophia looked from Merle to Carol with a question in her eyes. She was just too god damn smart for a six year old.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

_I'm not fucken joking.... I swear to god her car broke down outside the store and she saw the job in the window and come in with little bit._

_You kept her there right?_

_Gave them your room and gonna get her car towed and take them out for a meal._

_I'll get back tomorrow...._

_I've got it sorted, they will be fine if you need to stay stay._

_I can leave it for someone else to finish... I'm catching the next flight._

Merle set Carol and Sophia up in the bathroom to take showers and baths or whatever they needed. He wanted to go ring his brother an let him know that Carol and Sophia had showed up at the store for a job and now Sophia was connecting the dots. It didn't help Daryl had photos displayed of Sophia in his bedroom. Carol hadn't said anything to confirm or deny  her questions. 

_I'll be home soon, can I talk to her?_

_Nah man she's in the bathroom with the little one. Washing her hair or something. They been sleeping in the car a few nights._

_Just look after them and keep Sophia away from the sharks and anything that she could drown in!_

Merle hung up from his phone call from his brother wondering if he made the right choice ringing him but he knew Daryl would kill him if he was away and didn't know that they were there. He went out through the shop to see what he could do with Carol's jeep. Carol had given him the key to give to the tow truck driver but first he thought he would try his luck and see if he could get it started himself. He put the key in and it fired up first turn. He frowned and didn't think anything of it as he drove around the block to park it up in the garage in their building.

He popped the hood and looked to see if he could see anything that would make it break down outside the store, it fired on the first try so he didn't know what Carol meant when she said it broke down. He wondered if that was an excuse. He went back upstairs the back way through the shop. He locked the door behind him, checked all their tanks. Checked the heaters on the pools on the roof to make sure everything would be ok overnight. An alarm went off on his cell phone and inside the apartment if they dropped below a certain temperature. 

He opened the fridge and they had vegetables but he really didn't know if the kid would eat fruit and vegetables. Daryl's new gig on the roof top was trying to set up aquaponics up there. They had vegetables coming out their arses. Merle never thought he would enjoy vegetables but Daryl kept him interested by telling him how much better they were. Merle started pulling out some provisions to cook dinner. He opened the freezer and he had steak and chicken breasts. He tried to think about what little bit would eat and he grabbed the bag of frozen chicken kebabs that Daryl kept hidden in the back where he thought no one saw them.

"You're cooking?" Carol had come out of the bathroom dressed in clean clothes she had a towel wrapped around her head. She looked surprised to see the array of vegetables laid out in front of him.

"Daryl's trying his hand at aquaponics..." Carol looked like he had no idea what she was thinking about. "That's when you have a system... well you have fish in a tank and a container of vegetables.... they feed each other.... tastes good."

"He grew all these... watches a lot of youtube." Merle opened the fridge to show her. "He sells it to the resturants around here and they love it. He has a few dreams." Merle rolled his eyes as if he wasn't a fan of all the dreams Daryl had.

"So Daryl's still with the police?" Carol asked him.

"Yeah they are on a case right now, he didn't say what it was he just left early this morning, he's coming back soon though."

"I thought you said it was going to be three days...."

Merle looked at her guilty when he realized he was going to have to say he rang Daryl to say they were there. "Rang him... didn't want him coming back in three days time and finding out you been here for three days... he always wanted to go see you all since Shane died, she Sophia but he didn't think you would welcome him."

Carol thought about it, a few years ago she would have not wanted him anywhere near her daughter for fear he would try take her away but now she was looking forward to seeing Shanes friend again. 

"Maybe... I'd love to see him again, he was a good friend to Shane... we wouldn't have had Sophia without him." Carol said.

"You going to tell her?"

"Maybe... who knows... I'll see how it works out."

"Carol... can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Carol started helping Merle cut vegetables for dinner. Merle was setting up the grill for the chicken.

"Did you really break down outside?"

"I really did, you know.... don't laugh..." Carol glanced at Merle. "Shane brought us here... I didn't know where to go and I asked him where we should go and he guided us here the whole way... I think he played with my car..."

Merle looked around the room. "Like you see him?"

"No... sometimes... in my dreams we talk but sometime, I just ask him to guide us and he guided us here. Then .... well you know the rest. Did the tow truck driver take my car to a garage?"

"No it fired first turn." Merle looked surprised.

"It was Shane..." Carol whispered. "He does stuff like that... helps me."

Merle was looking around hoping that Shane hadn't caught him checking out Carol's rack earlier.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Two am in the morning a tired Daryl slipped through the back door of the apartment. He quietly locked the back door, he'd texted Merle not so long ago to let him know it was him coming through the back door in twenty minutes so he wasn't met with wack to the head or something with Merle thinking it was a burglar or something. Merle had told him everyone was asleep and to come in quietly.

He stopped in the small hall and sniffed the air, the smell inside his home had changed since he left, he could smell vanilla and something else that was sweet like fruit berries or bubbly gum. Knowing Merle he would have fed the little girl up on bubble gum. He looked down at his feet picking up a baby dolls bottle and carried it with him through to the lounge. 

He turned on a lamp beside the couch and looked around the lounge, there was colouring pencils and pens scattered everywhere and little girls shoes tucked over to the side. And then there were the toys that looked pretty brand new Merle said he ducked out to buy her a few things to play with from the big department store down town. They were scattered around the floor. He bent down to push a little dolls pram across to the side of the room so he didn't trip over it while he was wandering around.

Merle had told him Carol had laid down with Sophia for ten minutes to get her to sleep because Sophia was too wound up to relax, twenty minutes later Merle had looked in the room and they were both sound asleep. Merle threw a blanket over Carol because she was on top of the bed. He thought they both were probably exhausted from sleeping rough over the last week.

He was edgy and nervous about meeting Carol and even more nervous about meeting Sophia. What if she didn't like him or Carol was mad at him for not making contact with them for after Shane died... but Sophia wasn't really his child, she had his DNA but she still was Shane and Carol's daughter.

As promise Merle had left him blankets and pillows on the couch. He dropped his bag on the floor beside the couch, nudged off his shoes and went barefoot through to the bathroom to take a much needed shower. He was hot and sweaty still from being on the job for the past few days. He turned the shower on and tried not to think about who was sleeping in the room next door.

He'd thought about them the whole way home. He still remembered the first time he saw Carol. He saw her first, met her first at a book store in town where she was working part time while going to school at night. He and another cop had gone in in uniform to get coffee from the coffee shop inside the book store and Carol had served them. From then on for the next month Daryl made a point of stopping by every day for coffee and a quick hello finally had the balls to even ask Carol out. He had worked out a six week plan on how to go about asking her out, it started off him asking her along to a night bowling on the Friday night, he was so stupid because he invited Shane as well and Shane spent the whole night hitting on her.

The next week he invited her to a group night at the bar they all hung out at and she had come. Within the hour Daryl had gone up to the bar and Shane had somehow managed to get her to take him home with her. He was so stupid because he never let her know he did like her. It was probably his own fault because he had been inviting her out over and over and she probably thought he didn't even like her because he hadn't even talked to her any time they went out because he was so nervous.

He'd never told Shane he had been crushing on her for weeks and Shane being Shane swepted her off her feet. He didn't say anything just stood there and watched from his roll as best man as Shane married the girl Daryl had fallen heavy for all those years ago.

Even when Shane told him about their problems he just said yes when Shane in a round about way asked him for his sperm to help them make a baby. He watched through it all but he couldn't stay watching her belly grow with his child and Shane all loved up waiting for it to arrive. He asked for a transfer and kept away from Shane and Carol until he had the call that Shane had been killed in the line of duty. He'd still talked to Shane almost daily. He'd also dated and had his share of girlfriends trying to forget he had a little girl out there but he couldn't get enough courage to pick up the phone and call her and ask if they were doing ok.

How the heck had they just shown up on his doorstep like this, looking for a job no less. Carol... He dipped his head under the running water and started washing his hair and yawned. Daryl turned the shower off and reached for his towel. He had it around his waist when the bathroom door opened and a little girl with long blondish hair walked past him with her eyes she and sat down on the toilet and started peeing. Daryl could tell she was half asleep and probably didn't even see him standing there, he started moving out the open door and had just stepped into the lounge when he heard a voice behind him.

"Who are you?" She asked him through squinty eyes. 

"I'm... I'ma Daryl...." Daryl glanced at her through the bathroom door.

"Daryl.... there's no toilet paper..."

"Wait a minute hon... I'll find you something ok." Daryl left, went out to his bag and pulled on running pants and a tee shit, then he started looking for something for her, he come up with napkins and took them into the bathroom and handed them to Sophia.

"Don't forget to wash your hands." He told her quietly.

Daryl went and sat on the couch waiting for Sophia to come out of the bathroom, he could hear the taps running and he groaned as he heard stuff being sprayed around the bathroom as she must have seen stuff in his toilet bag. He got up off the couch and tapped the door then opened it. He shook his head as he saw her about to pour his shampoo out down the sink.

"No Sophia come on its late," He held the door open for her to pass out the bathroom before him. She didn't seem to be worried about Daryl in fact she seemed to be acting like she knew who he was. Maybe she already knew who he was but he didn't know anything. Sophia just trailed along behind him, it didn't matter it was so early in the morning.

"Are you my sperm daddy?" Sophia asked him.

Daryl sat back down on the couch and looked at the little girl who come across the room to look at his face, she had a tiny little mole up by her left ear and she flashed him a smile with her blue eyes.

"What did your mommy tell you about me?"

"That my Daddy didn't have any and Daryl gave it to her." Sophia asked him.

"Right... right... yes... I ... um....' Daryl looked at her again.

"So you are my other daddy?" Sophia asked him.

"Um... Sophia I'm not sure what I'm supposed to tell you. But yes I guess I am." Daryl didn't expect to have a frank conversation with Sophia so early in the morning about sperm and the fact that he was her bio dad but Sophia seemed to know all about it anyway. "Honey you need to go to bed now ok."

Daryl took her into his bedroom and helped her into the bed. His eyes went to her mother who was sleeping with her mouth open, exhausted in sleep. She was as beautiful as he remembered, even though the last time he saw her her face was covered with tears and grief, she looked relaxed sprawed across the top of his bed. He gave Sophia a tiny wave and went back to sleep on the couch. He was just about to sleep twenty minutes later when he heard little feet plod across the lounge floor and a little girl tuck herself up in front of him on the couch. He sighed and put his arm across her and offered her some of his blanket and went back to sleep.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Carol didn't dream about Shane as often as she used to but when she did she slept sound. He was her love and she never thought she would ever love again like that. He was in her dream hugging her and trying to say goodbye.

 _'Don't go I still need you...'_ Carol called out to him in her sleep.

_'Trust me, you will be fine now.... go to Daryl...'_

_'No... Shane... please...'_

_'He will love you... love Sophia... Carol he's a good man...'_

_'Please don't go...'_

_"Carol... "_

Carol's dreams flipped to the night she was excited about going to meet Daryl at the bar, she found him quickly with a couple of friends and Daryl seemed excited to see her. Shane was one of those guys. He'd brought her a drink and stood beside her while they started playing pool. In her dream it was like she was watching but also right back there. Daryl moved to take a shot and a very gay Asian guy slapped his butt as he was taking his shot. Daryl had given the guy a hug. Carol had watched and that was when Shane leaned in and told her the cute gay Asian guy was Daryl's boyfriend. Carol had believed him.

Carol tried to turn her feelings off towards Daryl from that moment and had another drink and ended up going home with Shane. She didn't know for a long time that Shane had lied. It was only after she was pregnant with Sophia that Shane did tell her that he wasn't gay at all. Carol had hit him over the head with a pillow in bed when she realized her husband had lied to her, not only had he lied to her he moved in on a mate when he should have stepped back. Carol didn't know if she and Daryl would have ever been a thing or not but she had a huge crush on him. 

Her friendship with Daryl turned into a cluster fuck once she started dating Shane. She had asked Daryl how his boyfriend was and Daryl had just stared at her like she had three heads. He just backed away when he realized that something had happened that he didn't really know what had happened to his plan to get to know Carol and now she was in the arm's of his best friend. Carol only understood that when Shane finally told her what he did and Daryl wasn't gay. She wanted to ring him and apologize but she didn't know what she would be able to do now because she was with Shane.

Shane... 

_'Every thing will be ok now...'_

_'But Shane...'_

_'I can't stay forever, I got you here... I'll pop in from time to time... I love you."_

In her dream she was reaching out trying to grab at him. She called out and trashed to bring him back because she didn't want him to go. She felt arms wrap around her telling her it was going to be ok, a musky smell of male that she didn't remember, she felt Shane disappear as she sniffed back tears in strong arms that were wrapped around her. She felt a kiss to her temple as she settled back to sleep. She just couldn't open her eyes she was so tired. So so tired, someone was stroking her head and she went back into her deep sleep.

Daryl lay on his bed on his side with his arm's around Carol he thought about shaking her right awake but Carol had settled right back to sleep again when he stroked her hair. He'd tucked Sophia onto the couch when he heard Carol yelling and crying in her sleep. He couldn't make out the words she was saying but he half picked her up into his arms to hold her through her nightmare or whatever she was going through in her sleep. He stroked her hair for at least twenty minutes before he fell asleep.

 

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys I'm really struggling to write right now. Maybe the lack of Caryl on screen is the problem or these crazy bitches I'm walking with on fitbit....

Carol rolled over and flopped her arm over a hard chest, she pulled it back with a fright and she squinted her eyes over to see a male figure lying  beside her. His mouth was open and he was actually snoring like he'd been there a long time.

He looked older and had some greying hair in his goatee, something that he hadn't sported when she used to know him. She had no idea what he was doing in the bed with her or why her body was pushed up against his side. 

Carol tried to move her hand off his chest, she looked around and it was still semi dark like it was the early hours of the morning still, where was Sophia? Her heart started racing as she moved her feet to check the end of the bed because sometimes Sophia traveled all over the bed while sleeping. She couldn't feel her at all.

Carol started moving out of the bed to go look for her daughter.

"Where ya going?" A low sleepy voice grumbled. Daryl started moving about the bed in a half asleep trance pulled her back into bed to him. She was aware he wasn't fully awake and probably didn't realize he was in bed with her. He did smell nice and his arms felt so strong around her. She hadn't been held in such a long time if she wasn't worried about Sophia she would lie back in the bed again. She knew Sophia couldn't get out because of the alarms but she did have images of her down in the shops staring at all the fish.

"Um to find Sophia?" 

"Sleeping on the couch, you were yelling out in your sleep, you were going to wake her so I come in to help you." Daryl gestured towards the lounge. "She woke up when I come home... we chatted... Can we talk in the morning I'm so tired right now."

"Yelling?" Carol asked. "I was yelling?"

"Crying I guess..." Daryl rolled over and looked at her with sleepy eyes. "Soooo.... hi."

He gave her a half smile, he yawned and shut his eyes. He didn't know what to say. Carol relaxed into his arms not pulling away from him.

"I'm sorry Daryl... for everything, I should have made contact before things were getting bad." Carol whispered.

"I should of.... I just didn't know if you wanted me to come after Shane died... shes his daughter." Daryl said quietly.

"She's your's too... Biologically." Carol was whispering back.

"But... " Daryl yawned and lifted his head and looked at his clock by the bed, it read four forty five. He sighed he was too tired to talk about it right now. "Can we talk tomorrow."

"Ok... but we still need to talk about Sophia... I still can't believe we are here... I've missed you... being friends with you..."

"Well you married Shane..."

"He told me you were gay... that first night at the bar..." Carol blurted out.

Daryl didn't say anything he just flung his arm over his face, he didn't want to speak ill of the dead but he wanted to kill Shane all over. It took him forever to get over Carol and he hadn't ever met anyone else that he fell for so quick without being romantically involved with them. 

"He told me lot long after you helped us out with Sophia... Daryl I'm so sorry I thought you were asking me on a date and then Shane told me you were dating that guy and I decided to go home with Shane. I loved Shane but ... I can't say what could of been or speak badly of Shane because he loved me and Soph..." Carol told him.

Daryl didn't say anything for a long time.

"Tell me one thing?"

"Ok."

"Why did you come here? What do you want from me?" Daryl asked her quietly.

Carol shook her head. "I don't know... I didn't know you were here when we come outside the shop... Its like something you couldn't plan." Carol said.

"But what brought you _here._ "

"Chance ... fate I'm not sure...."

"Shane?" Daryl asked her. Carol gave him a half nod. "Don't laugh because its going to sound crazy..."

"I promise."

"I see him sometimes.... like in my dreams and he keeps talking to me about coming to visit you and Sophia.... then I finally made up my mind to do it and he come to me a few days ago and said you were coming to me... then I got the phone call from Merle saying you were here."

Carol rolled onto her side pulling away from Daryl slightly to see his face a bit better. He was watching her watching him, she was so tired and he looked shattered while they were trying to have a whispered conversation. She had no idea what else to say. They both had had dreams about Shane.

"He told me to come to you..." Carol whispered, "That we would be safe and looked after here."

Daryl nodded, "As long as ya's want."

She nodded knowing they had come to an understanding of sorts, they would talk more tomorrow and figure the rest of it out, she couldn't stop herself reaching out and stroking her hand down his arm. He pulled her closer and she snuggled into his arms closer. She tilted her head to say something and her lips brushed his, his moved slowly and carefully over Carol's. He pulled back and looked at her face in the early morning light that was barely rising in the sky.

"We will work it out... I promise." He leaned in and kissed her softly again. "Now go to sleep I'm shattered." 

They both lay awake for a while lost in their own thoughts but when they did sleep they both had dreams of the same person.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

They both slept late, real late. Carol woke with a start when she looked up and realized the time and realized she was smushed up in Daryl's neck. His arms were wrapped around each other. Carol lifted her head to daylight and she tried to move away from him to go find Sophia. 

"She's gone out for lunch with Merle," Daryl mumbled with his eyes shut. "He was in here getting clothes for her a few hours ago."

"SO we are here all alone." Carol asked.

"Yeah, I need to use the john..." Daryl rolled  out of the bed, Carol could see at some stage during the night he'd stripped down to his underwear. Only his underwear. Carol's eyes drifted down his shoulders right down to the top of his boy legged underwear. He looked good from behind, she didn't know what he looked like from the front. She shut her eyes because she really shouldn't be having any thoughts like that at all right now. 

He walked through to the bathroom. Carol slipped out of the bed, it was cold and she looked about pulling on her pants that she'd thrown to the floor at some stage during the night. Carol was just doing up her pants when she heard the shower turn on. She looked around for her bag hoping to find a warm jumper or something. She couldn't find anything so she grabbed a hoody of Daryl's pulling it on.

It was Sunday and it was unlikely that they would have the shop open. She opened the door to the lounge area and there as toys everywhere. Sophia had really made herself at home there. It looked like Merle might have been playing with her that morning because there was lego houses and what looked like crocodiles made. There was no way Sophia would be able to make anything like that.

She walked through to the kitchen and started to make some coffee for them both. She was sipping her coffee looking out the window onto the roof trying not to think about the other things they could have in the swimming pools out there. Carol wondered when the sharks were going to go. Today Merle said. Hopefully before her daughter decided she wanted to pet them.

"Is this mine?" Daryl had come into the kitchen behind her and pointed to the coffee on the bench.

"Yes... I didn't know if you still had milk or what..." Carol said quietly.

"You sleep ok?"

"Best sleep I've had in years," She raised her eyes to meet his.

"So what now? Do you want to talk or what?" Daryl asked her. He looked all sorts of awkward and was blushing because he was clearly thinking about them kissing during the night time.

"Well... we should have a bit of a plan of what we are going to say or do with Sophia?" Carol didn't know what to do either. "How long do you have off work?"

"I've taken a few days off work." Daryl moved closer to her. "Does Merle still have those sharks out there?"

"Hm yeah... he said they are going into a tank today."

"Yeah into a huge aquarium at the zoo." Daryl said. "We have them because they are kinda in a hospital tank out there. Treating them in case they are sick, more trouble than its worth but they are part of an endangered protection program Merle got involved in. You don't want to see what he's got in the basement."

"Basement?"

"Yeah, he started off with one tank and now he has hundreds I'm sure. He's breeding his own fish for supplying buyers. Shipping them around the country." Daryl said. 

"Really... didn't you say your brother was a no hoper?"

"Yeah until he had to look after his girlfriends fish tank while she went away for work... he got hooked." Daryl was standing close side by side with Carol. Both of them were looking out the door at the ponds out there.

"So should we just fly by the seat of our pants?" Carol suggested, he nodded that he could go with the flow of what was going to happen with Sophia.

"And what about us... I mean last night we were kissing... I take it you are ready?" Daryl asked her.

"Ready?"

"Ready to start dating someone else after Shane?" Daryl felt shit for coming right out and saying it.

"I think so... Slowly, I think though Sophia and I should find somewhere to live and a job. She needs to be in school."

"I've got a house... I don't really live there, its near a good school where a friend sends their kid, he's about Sophia's age." Daryl said. "Its about five blocks from here, you can walk here or to school, I'll take you there after we grab something to eat and find out where Merle taken Sophia." Carol nodded and then she didn't even move as he moved closer to her and started kissing her good morning. They only stopped when they heard Merle and Sophia coming up the stairs.

 

 

"


	9. Chapter 9

Sophia watched Daryl from under her eyelashes glancing up shyly at her as she followed him around the store feeding the fish. Daryl had asked her if she would like come go with him into the shop to feed the fish and check all the water levels were ok and nothing was going wrong down in the store. He asked them both out to go to the park that afternoon after he did his jobs in the shop giving Merle a break while he got rid of the sharks into the sea life park.

Carol was washing their clothes and going through their belongings. Merle suggested that he might take the sleep out and leave Daryl, Carol and Sophia inside the apartment. Daryl told him they were going to sort out his house for Carol and Sophia to move into.

Carol finished loading her washing into the machine and then went to take a shower. She grabbed her last set of clean clothes and took them through into the bathroom with her. She looked around the small bathroom wondering how it was going to  go spending the day with Daryl. Sophia seemed to be copping just fine with both men. She actually had the hugest smile on her face riding on Daryl's shoulders as he took her with him to do a fish feed.

When they come back upstairs from feeding the fish Daryl suggested that they go and take a look at the house he had been doing up and see what she thought about them moving into it. Carol began to wonder if he wanted them out of his hair and then he said.

"If you want, its a big house I can move in with you guys..." He actually blushed. "I mean I can stay in one of the other bedrooms if you want me to."

"Stay with us?" Carol looked surprised at his comment.

 

“Well yeah so that we can spend some time together and I can get to know Sophia better.” Daryl told her. “I know she has a dad but I want her to get to know me too.”

 

“You haven’t been around little kids though… do you think you want to spend all the time with her and us. I mean you are not used to it.”

 

“Carol I fell for you years ago… I think I can cope with you and one little girl, and if not I’ll get them to send me on a special assignment or something.” Daryl teased her.

 

“Undercover for a year?” Carol smiled at him.

 

“Never…” Daryl reached out and put his hand on her hip, the both looked down at it and Carol felt a rush of heat going up and down her body with that one little touch. He pulled her closer to him and brushed his mouth against hers. “I promise I will let you know if it's too much.”

 

They headed over to Daryl’s place in Carol’s car which was running like a dream, Carol knew it wasn’t playing up the day it stalled outside the fish shop. Sophia was kicking the back of Daryl’s seat over and over again while she was looking out the window. 

 

Daryl asked her to stop and she kept kicking it again, Carol knew she was testing Daryl to see what he would do. Kick, kick kick, she knew that Sophia had some traits of Daryl’s and this was one, she watched and listened and tested people out, he turned around in his seat and said, “I asked you to stop.” 

 

Sophia stuck her thumb in her mouth and gave the seat another kick and looked out the window to show that she got the last word with him. Carol just shook her head and knew that she was giving Daryl a really hard time. She didn’t know what else she was going to do next to try him out. Carol knew she should warn him that she could be like that somethings. Carol thought she should let him sink or swim.

 

Carol bit her lip for the rest of the drive. Daryl was ignoring the little girl who was now pouting because her new daddy just growled at her and Carol just knew she was weighing  up the odds of if she should give the seat another kick or not. Daryl was pointing and giving Carol directions, they quickly pulled up outside  two story bungalow. Sophia swung her leg again and gave the back of Daryl’s seat a big kick.

 

It was beautiful, really beautiful, it had a huge front yard that seemed to be fenced all around, a huge tree in the front yard with a tyre swing hanging off it and a wrap around porch. They all climbed out of the car and Sophia ran straight to the swing.

 

“Stop Soph it might not be safe.” Carol called out to her.

 

“Its fine, I only put it up a year ago.” Daryl said.

 

“You put a swing up?” Carol asked him.

 

“Call me crazy I got here one day and there was a tyre and some rope sitting on the front porch.” Daryl told her, “I stepped around it for a few weeks before I had a dream of her swinging on the tree.”

 

“You dreamed about Sophia?” Carol asked him.

 

“Sometime, Shane and stuff… I think sometimes he’s whispering shit in my ear.” Daryl told her again, she knew what he meant Shane always was about she was sure. “You can go on the swing Sophia.” 

 

They watched her run to the tyre swing climbing onto it. 

 

“She never had a yard, we only had a small apartment,” Carol told him as they climbed the steps of the porch, Daryl turned around and called Sophia to come with them into the house not quite ready to leave her outside alone. 

 

They all stepped over the door step and Carol looked around amazed. She was surprised that the home was so lovely inside, Carol looked to the right and it opened up into a huge lounge room and she could see right through to a big kitchen. The kitchen and lounge would be the hub of the house. She looked left and the door was shut Daryl was standing in front of it. 

 

“Its not finished.” He told her, he opened the door to reveil a completely gutted room. It was stripped back to the bare bones. “Its going to be…”

 

“Be?”

 

“I don’t know… study… playroom, whatever you want it to be. Merle wanted to put a fish tank along that whole wall from floor to ceiling.” Daryl chuckled, “But I’m just lining it and then we can make it whatever we want.”

 

“Another lounge just in case we want to do grown up stuff. I think Sophia can spread herself all over the other one.” Carol was excited when she put her hand on Daryl’s forearm and gave it a squeeze, “Maybe a big tv and fire place…”

 

“Big rug?” Daryl glanced down at her arm.

 

Sophia come bursting into the room looking around with her hands on her hips, “Come on… lets go upstairs.”

 

“Sophia have you been upstairs already?” Daryl asked her noticing the doll in her hand that she was trying to hide behind her back.

 

“No…” Sophia told him.

 

“So that isn't the doll from upstairs.”

 

“Um… mama there’s a whole room up there with dolly’s and pony’s and teddybears and trucks.” Sophia blurted out.

 

“Is there?” Carol looked at Daryl with a question in her eyes. He stared back at her.

  
“Told you I had some fucked up dreams sometimes. Making me buy shit.”

 


	10. Chapter 10

Carol opened the front door after a full day at work with Merle, she was trying to call Sophia in from the yard because it was starting to get dark. It was great working with Merle because he had no issue with her heading out to pick Sophia up from school at three and he didn’t seem to mind how many times she had to stop what she was doing to answer hundreds of questions she had about the tanks she was working on. 

 

Carol was quickly realizing that the tanks needed constant care. Corals have to be watched and fed and she had no idea that the little red shrimp in the tanks took care of most of the cleaning for her. 

 

Merle was teaching her on the job and to be honest she loved it and found it extremely relaxing to work with the fish. In fact they were setting up a marine tank in their family room at the house.

 

She and Daryl had moved in together. Daryl had moved into the guest bedroom and Carol was sleeping alone in the master bedroom. Things were ticking along slowly between them. Carol and Daryl also had been working together to fix up the main lounge room. Carol didn’t know how much longer she could take Daryl working in singlet tops and shorts at night after they put Sophia to bed. It was something really nice to look forward to at the end of the day a half naked man sweating in the lounge room.

 

“What’s happening here Miss Sophia?” Merle come along the aisle to look at what they were up too.

 

“Mommy’s helping the fish live in a nice home.” Sophia told him, she held her arms up for him to pick her up. “Have you got anything special?”

 

“Special?”

 

“Down stairs?” Sophia gave him a cheeky grin, Merle gave up and nodded that he would take her down to check on the two clown fish that they were trying to breed and lay eggs.

 

“Come on then, lights will go out in an hour.” Merle looked across at Carol who nodded that it was ok for him to take her down to check all the breeding tanks. They both knew that they had laid eggs that morning but they had been keeping it from her until Merle had time to take her down.

 

Sophia had come back upstairs full of it when they finished watching the eggs. Merle had promised Sophia a tank for her bedroom for her when they grew a little bit. He had already started the process of having it cycle in her bedroom to be ready for when the babies were big enough. Carol told Merle he was spoiling her and the cost of the tank alone was worth more than her car. Merle had just shook his head stating he wanted to do what was right for Sophia.

 

Carol stood in the doorway of Daryl’s house watching Sophia have a one sided conversation with herself while swinging on the tyre swing. She was giggling and swinging higher and higher. It was starting to get dark and Carol didn’t really like being out in the dark with Sophia. She saw a familiar sight driving down the street, a man in a black leather jacket on a bike who was slowing down and pulling into the driveway. Sophia didn’t even turn around she was too busy talking to herself.

 

Daryl pulled off his helmet surprised that she didn’t turn towards him. She had begun to call him daddy and they certainly were becoming very close. He run his hand through his hair watching Sophia, Carol was watching Sophia. Sophia climbed off the swing and was dancing around in a circle singing a song to herself.

 

Daryl climbed off his bike and walked across to Carol, he dropped a kiss on her cheek and looked across the lawn, “You think she’s safe with him?” Daryl asked her.

 

“I thought I was going a little crazy here… do you think she’s playing with Shane too?” Carol asked him, Daryl gave a short nod. 

 

“I’m gonna take a shower, be back down soon ok,” He told her, Carol walked down on the steps and sat down watching her daughter play in the dusk. After a few more minutes she finished playing and waved. She ran past Carol into the house.

 

Carol closed her eyes and looked up and Shane was there.

 

“Did you come to say goodbye?” She asked and he looked sad and nodded.

 

“You have Daryl now, be happy, its ok…” He told her. “I’ve already stayed too long.”

 

“Will I see you again?”

 

He nodded, “Not for a while, you need to focus on this family for now.” He bent and kissed her cheek, “I’ll always love you… I’m going to keep a eye on you, I’ll always keep you and Soph safe…”

  
Carol nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes knowing when she looked up he would be gone. And he was. She sat for a few moments wiping her tears and then she went into the house to find Daryl to tell him it was time to move his stuff into the master bedroom. Now Shane was gone Daryl would want to come to her and try build their relationship up to a better one. Until now he had been afraid to take it to the next step because he was slightly scared of what Shane might do to him. Shane had given him and her his blessing and she was happy that they could move on together and be a family with Sophia.


End file.
